SIR – Could this be a script from a Laurel and Hardy film?

Hardy: “We need a new car, the old one is costing too much to maintain.”

Laurel: “We need a new fridge freezer, the old one is not fuel efficient. We also need a new TV, the old one is a 20-inch screen; we want a 40-inch screen."

Hardy: “Let’s buy all three, we can borrow the money.”

Laurel: “There’s a recession, we may lose our jobs.”

Hardy: “We’ll leave it for now – it was a nice idea though.”

Does the above remind you of anything?

Replace Laurel and Hardy with Worcester City Council and them building a new swimming pool.

One major difference is that if the costing is wrong they will increase the rates.

The coalition Government’s view is that spending on capital developments will help stimulate the economy.

They may be right. But if it does, it won’t be in the UK, but in Poland, where the construction firms will recruit much of their labour, and in Germany and China, where most of the equipment and fittings will come from.

If the new swimming pool goes ahead, I can hear the Laurel and Hardy catchphrase, “Another fine mess you've gotten us into.”

CARL HUMPHRIES
Chairman, UKIP Worcester and district branch